Can't wait for next climb

Lisa Kirkby took part in her first CN Tower Climb for Nature on Sunday, April 14. She completed the 1,776-step event at the iconic Toronto landmark in a time of 28:13. The annual climb is a fundraiser for World Wildlife Federation and its Canadian projects.
Submitted photojpg, BT

Lisa Kirkby has reached new heights in her health and fitness journey.

The Brockville resident took part in the 1,776-step CN Tower Climb for Nature in Toronto on Sunday. The annual event is a fundraiser for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

It was Kirkby’s first attempt at taking the stairs to the top of the world-famous attraction. She completed the climb in a time of 28:13.

Kirkby found it surprising that she was apprehensive just before the start of the event Sunday morning. “I was actually really nervous,” she said in an interview.

Although Kirkby had been doing step training for several weeks leading up to the climb, she might not have been fully prepared for the conditions inside the tower stairwell. “It was humid in there and cold,” Kirkby commented.

She could feel her “lungs burning” about 40 flights into the climb. Kirkby said she stopped on a landing every 20 floors or so and just stood there for a few seconds to catch her breath before proceeding. “I just kept going.”

Kirkby reported that her fellow climbers were very polite.

“Everyone would smile if you were passing them,” she said, joking that they probably didn’t have the breath to speak.

Paramedics were stationed along the route, but there were no water breaks for the climbers. In the hands-and-pockets-free climb, participants are not permitted to carry water bottles, cellphones or packs, or use headphones.

“I was so happy that I was done… and that I did it,” Kirkby said about reaching the top.

Breathing was Kirkby’s biggest challenge; she noted that her legs were not sore during or after the climb. Something Kirkby found inspiring was that in her small group that started at the same time was a blind woman.

“That was pretty amazing,” said Kirkby, who does not know how the woman did.

Earlier on Sunday morning, Kirkby’s training partner Jason Barlow took part in the elite climb challenge. Barlow had clocked a time of 14:52 in his first climb last year.

His goal for Sunday was a sub-14-minute time; Barlow ended up completing the 2019 climb in 16:41.

The fastest time at the 2019 event was 10:24 by Tyler Kruschenske of Brantford. The record is 7:52, which works out to about 3.76 steps per second. It takes 58 seconds for the high-speed elevator to get to the LookOut Level, which is 346 metres (1,136 feet) above the ground.

Kirkby enjoyed the experience and is looking forward to returning next spring.

“I had a nice weekend away with the kids,” she said.

Her daughter is planning to join her in 2020, and Kirkby also noted that she had received messages from quite a few people who also want to do the climb. Kirkby said she will probably start training in January and put more emphasis on cardio given the breathing challenges she experienced during her first climb.

The 2019 tower climbs held on Saturday and Sunday raised $1.4 million for WWF’s Canadian projects; each participant is required to raise at least $120. The event dates back almost three decades. The CN Tower opened in 1976.